Leaked document shows plans to restrict residential care for disabled people and cut allocated budgets

National are breaching disabled people's rights

A leaked document indicates the government is seeking to severely restrict and reduce access to residential services for disabled people.

The restrictions are so severe that there is significant risk of harm to disabled people and their families, particularly for aging parents who are finding care work increasingly difficult.

Disabled people will now have to compete for residential care, with priority being given to disabled people in court ordered care (forensics – those who have committed a crime), those in the care of Oranga Tamariki (often severe, with no family support), those exiting Mental Health care (including secure care), those needing to exit hospital care and have nowhere to go, and people whose health is deteriorating and need hospital-level care (usually aged care).

In reality, what this means is that families caring for a disabled loved one at home will no longer get residential care support unless the family becomes homeless or their health has deteriorated so much they can no longer provide care. Other options include committing a crime and going to jail as those exiting jail are prioritised for residential care.

If you do have residential care for your disabled loved one, you will be tied to where they live – transfers due to movement are now a “low priority” and unlikely to occur.

Instead of residential care, there will be “community-based alternatives to residential care”. It isn’t clear what this means, but it seems as though aging parents will be expected to continue to provide high levels of care, with decreasing options for rest or self-care.

It is clear that disabled people and families WILL be having their support allocations cut and reduced:

National are clearly seeking to severely curtail disabled people’s lives, reduce allocated supports, and enable further abuse in care.

All so they can gift landlords, the tobacco industry, and the already wealthy tax breaks.

Read the full document here: Freeze on residential care risks harming disabled people and families